Asus EAH4870X2

The best single-card graphics performance available

THE ASUS EAH4970X2 is a powerhouse video card that uses ATI's new Radeon HD 4870 X2 design, which places two top-of-the-line 4870 GPU chips on a single board, backed by a whopping 2GB of video memory. The 4870 X2 puts ATI back in competition at the top end of the 3D-gaming market in terms of both performance and price.

The EAH4870X2 is functionally equivalent to two HD 4870 cards running in CrossFireX mode, but on a single card. Each GPU is backed by 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory, and an onboard PCI 2.0 bridge chip allows the two subsystems to communicate. This means you don't need a CrossFireX-compatible motherboard, but you do need a 600-watt power supply, both six-pin and eight-pin PCI Express power cables, and room for 10.5-inch-long board that blocks an adjacent slot. The EAH4870X2 is also much louder than the single-GPU HD 4870 because of its fan.

The board includes a pair of dual-link DVI connectors, an HDMI adapter with onboard audio, and an analog component-video/S-Video output. Unlike Nvidia's dual-GPU GeForce cards, you can use dual monitors with the EAH4870X2 without having to disable the second GPU.


The EAH4870X2 delivered excellent image quality in our video-playback tests, and for gamin proved the fstest single video card we've tested to date. At 2,560x1,600 resolution, the EAH4870X2 turned in 41 frames per second (fps) in World in Conflict, 54.7fps in Company of Heroes, and 116fps in F.E.A.R. Dual-GPU solutions like the EAH4870X2 require the drivers to support the game you're playing with a CrossFireX profile, though not all titles benefit from the second GPU.-Denny Atkin

Computer Shopper November 2008
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